Lost
by ElricLawliet
Summary: Three years ago L took a case...and it went very wrong. L lost the only precious thing he had left, and sentenced his little sister to three years of searching for him alone. Now she's found him again, but with Kira on the prowl, how long will it last?
1. Lost

The small, raven-haired girl looked at the newspaper in her hand. The bold headline gave her hope, more hope than she'd had in three years.

**L vs. KIRA: A Battle of Good and Evil**

She felt her heart begin to race. Could this be what she was looking for? Was going to Japan the key to finding the man she'd been searching for since she was ten? It was the likeliest lead she'd had since her search began.

She laid the newspaper beside her on the bench and buried her face in her hands.

"Oh… I wish I knew if it was true…" she whispered to herself.

"Are you lost, little girl?" a voice said.

Her head shot up. A man stood in front of her, tall and lean, not to mention rather strong-looking.

"No, just resting."

"Why don't you come with me?" he asked, smiling.

"Uhhh… no. I don't go with strangers."

He suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Come quietly," he said, "or I'll have to hurt you."

In a flash, the girl spun and brought her leg up in a massive kick. The man went flying backwards, landing on his back. She spun again, facing him.

"Don't you dare touch me," she growled. "I _will_ kill you. I'm a _hell_ of a lot stronger than you think."

He pushed himself up, astonishment, confusion, and terror on his face.

"Wh… what the hell…?"

She glared at him, daring him to come at her again. He stumbled up, looked at her for a full two seconds, than sprinted off in the opposite direction. She straightened and sat back down. In five minutes, the whole event was at the back of her mind, and she was debating whether or not to go to Japan.

She didn't know what to do. She finally pulled out her cell phone.

It was time to seek the help of an old friend.


	2. Worry and Memories

**Okay… I'll try to update as often as possible, because I personally hate long waits and I know I'm not alone. I'm updating immediately 'cause I don't have writer's block yet and can't stand waiting another 24 hours.**

**Thank you soooo much, Narutogirl101, for your compliment. I was really afraid no one would like this.**

The cell phone rang three times before picking up.

"Roger speaking."

"Roger, it's Z."

"Wh-what…?" the voice on the other end said, shaking. "B-but that's impossible… Z died three years ago!"

"I know L thinks that but it's not true. I need to know… is L in Japan working on the Kira case?"

"Y-yes… but what's going on…?"

"I… I didn't die, Roger. L thinks I did, but I didn't. Now, I have to find him. I… I miss him." Z whispered.

"Z… L will be overjoyed when I tell him you're alive!"

"NO! I don't want him to know yet. I… I'm scared Roger. Scared he'll hate me for it."

"…Z… if there's one thing I know it's that L could never hate you."

"I have to go, Roger. Is it okay if I stay at Wammy's for a while?"

"You are always welcome here… Z."

**L**

L stared at the computer screen in front of him. In a few minutes, Watari would patch him through to the NPO. As he waited, his mind drifted back to around three years before.

_A little girl, his mirror image, bounced up to him._

"_Look, Big Brother! Can we take this case?"_

_She pointed to a newspaper article. In bold lettering he read:_

_**Mysterious Murders Take place in Houston, Texas. Police Baffled**_

_She loved solving murder cases._

"_I guess so, if they let us help," he said quietly. "Remember, the authorities have to agree. We can't just take any case we want."_

"_I know, but we can ask!"_

_He smiled. He loved his little sister…_

L forced himself out of his memories. Damn. He'd sworn he would never think of the past. His sister was dead, and there was nothing he could do to change that. What was the point of dwelling on what couldn't be helped?

A moment later, he realized he was crying.

**Z**

Small little Z waited at the airport for Roger to arrive and take her to her old home. She didn't know how long she would stay there, but she felt it was too early to face L. No matter what Roger said she was afraid. Afraid L would hate her… or worse, not recognize her. If he didn't she didn't know if she had the strength to tell him who she was.

And so as the little girl waited for Roger, she began to cry.

**AN: Please review! And please be nice!**


	3. Breakdown

Roger arrived a little later. Z, being the observant little girl she is, saw him immediately.

"Hello, Z," Roger said. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. I'm coming."

She grabbed her stuff and followed him out to the limousine. As she climbed into the back seat, Roger noticed she looked different. She was paler, for one thing. She was taller than when he'd last seen her, but also thinner, as if she hadn't been getting enough to eat. The shadows around her eyes that marked her as an insomniac were darker, and her eyes looked... almost dead. Almost, but not quite. There was a spark behind them, as if for the first time in a while, she was daring to hope.

Even though they drove for a long time, Z didn't say a word; just stared out the dark window.

A couple hours later, they arrived at the huge building with the sprawling green lawn.

As the little girl stepped out in front of the familiar gate, Roger saw another change. Her eyes, formerly so much more expressive than her brother's, were different again. They were...

Empty.

No emotion, no feeling, no anything. Her face was completely stoic. She'd put up the walls her brother always wore. Roger realized that she had missed her brother so much, she became even _more_ like him.

As they walked up to the door, a young boy came out to meet them. He was an albino, about Z's age, with steel-colored eyes and curly white hair.

"Oh... Z, this is Near. Near, this is Z. She'll be staying here for a little while. Why don't you show her around before dinner?"

Near started twirling a lock of his snowy hair around his finger idly.

"Okay... follow me."

Near gave Z a full tour of the orphanage, even though she still remembered every corner of it.

As they walked, Near asked Z a bit about herself. He didn't learn much, she was very secretive... completely different from most girls at Wammy's. She wasn't loud and obnoxious, didn't jabber endlessly about things he didn't care about. He found it fascinating, the way she was so... different. Granted, as they walked, she became a bit more talkative, but was still very quirt.

He was beginning to like her. Just a bit, though.

_What? I'm... liking her? What's going on?_

When they finished with the last room, an empty rec room, Near asked,

"So why are you here?"

It was a simple question. Anyone could have asked it. After all, Wammy's _was_ an orphanage... you were only here if you had no place else to go. It was an innocent question.

But it was all it took.

All the things she'd been through the past three years; kidnapped, separated from her brother, the three-year long search; it all came crashing down on her live a ten-ton safe, and, as if the memories had physical weight, Z fell to her knees.

Her walls, the walls she had so carefully put up to protect her heart from those around her, shattered like glass. She felt tears come, thick and fast, and drip down her cheeks. She curled up, hugging her knees and wishing everything was like it used to be, wished her brother was here to hold her and make her feel better.

But he wasn't. Z's heart had broken, all from that one question. She didn't know why, didn't know why that one question had forced the pain she'd endured out to the surface, all she knew was she was making a total fool of herself, crying like a big baby... but she just couldn't stop.

Near didn't know what to do. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, either. He normally didn't care one way or the other about any girl. But this one was different. He didn't know why, but he didn't want this girl to cry. He wanted her to stop being upset, wanted her to feel better.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

He wasn't that good with feelings, but Near decided he was going to try.

He knelt down and hugged her.

_What is it that is so special about this girl?_ He wondered, marveling at his own action.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you cry... please stop... I'm sorry..."

Finally, Z stopped crying.

"Damn it... I'm sorry Near... I must seem so stupid to you right now..."

She swore again, angry at her weakness.

It's not your fault, it's mine... I shouldn't have been so... inconsiderate," Near said, helping her to her feet. "It was very rude of me."

She sighed. "Now... it's even more obvious I have to find him..."

"Who?"

she sighed again. "My big brother," she said quietly. "We were separated three years ago... and now I have to find him. Before I have another break-down like that one..."

Near didn't say anything. But as Z headed to her bedroom, he silently swore he would do whatever it took to help Z find her brother. He would do anything to keep her from crying like that again.

**Okay... I personally think this chapter sucks. But, I couldn't think of anything else, so here we are!**

**I also tried to make this chapter longer, 'cause my other ones were kinda short.**

**If you don't think this chapter was the worst, cheesiest, chapter you've ever read, then please review, 'cause I need something to boost my self-confidence. If you do think it's terrible, please refrain from saying so in a review, 'cause I have rather low self-esteem...**


	4. Goodbye

**Super happy thanks to all who reviewed! My self-confidence has improved by roughly 43% and so you all deserve prizes! *gives reviewers cupcakes and L-plushies***

**Now... on to chapter 4!**

Over the next few weeks, Z and Near grew considerably closer. For the first time in her life, Z had made a real friend other than her brother.

One day, the two were making a dice tower when two boys walked up. One was dressed in black leather, with shoulder-length blond hair and a chocolate bar in one hand. The other was about a year younger, dressed in a striped shirt and a vest and goggles that hid his eyes. His hair was red, and his attention was on a DS in his hands.

"Hey, Near, who's your friend?" the blond asked.

Near sighed. "This is Z. Z, the blond with the chocolate addiction is Mello, and the red-head is Matt."

"Hello," Z said, barely glancing at them.

"I've noticed you hang around Near a lot," Mello said. "Why?"

Z looked at him. "He's my friend. Why shouldn't I play with him?"

"Because he never makes friends. He always shuts himself in his room with a puzzle or a toy, and only comes out for classes or meals," Mello said, as if it was obvious. "Even if it seems like he's your friend, it's not real."

Z rolled her eyes and turned to Near. "Are you my friend, Near?" she asked.

"Yes, Z! What Mello said is usually true, but I really do care about you!"

He suddenly blushed, realizing that hadn't come out the way he wanted it to, but Z had already turned around.

"That settles that. I actually trust Near more than you, Mello," she said, turning back to the dice tower.

"Why, you-!" Mello started. Z had just proved him wrong... and he hated being wrong.

"Just drop it, Mello," Matt said, speaking for the first time. "I have a feeling you won't be able to outsmart this one. Something tells me this chic is smarter than she looks."

Z grinned slyly, as if she knew something they didn't.

"I oughta put you in your place..." Mello muttered.

"Relax, Mello," Z said, sighing. "I'm just messing with you. No need to overreact."

Mello relaxed a bit and stared at her. Finally he grinned.

"You're all right. I like a kid who doesn't cringe every time a fist is raised."

And he and Matt left the room. Z smiled.

L

L watched as Matsuda left the room. He turned back to the computer, thinking. Something about the Kira case confused him, but he couldn't figure out what.

He sighed. A few years ago, it took a lot to get him confused. Now, he was to distracted. It had been three years since Z had died, but he still expected his sister to come through the door and ask for a cupcake. He sighed again. He never realized it, but his sister was the main reason he'd liked solving cases. Each time he caught a criminal, he'd felt the world was one bad guy safer.

He still solved cases, because it _was _fun... and by doing it, he felt he kept his sister's memory alive.

He smiled. He hoped his sister was proud of him.

Watari walked in the room then, and saw L smiling... the smile he got when he thought about Z. Watari wished he could tell him what Roger had told him, but he knew that Z wouldn't appreciate that. He just knew that in a few days, she would be coming.

He really couldn't wait to see L's face when he realized his beloved little sister was alive. The thought that the pride and joy of his orphanage would be happy again filled the old man with joy. And he couldn't wait for Z's arrival.

Z

A few days later, Z and Near were playing with some toy robots in the rec room when Roger came in.

"Z," he said, "I need to talk to you."

She followed him outside the room and asked.

"What is it?"

"I called Watari and told him. Don't worry, he promised not to tell L. But anyway, he told me where they are. You can go there tonight or tomorrow, if you want... do you?"

Z was silent for a bit, thinking. Finally, she smiled nervously.

"I think... I'll go tomorrow," she said quietly. I have to say goodbye first."

That night, Z knocked on Near's bedroom door. When he opened it, he was surprised to find Z waiting there.

"Z?" he said, confused. "What is it?"

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"S-sure..." Near said, opening the door wider.

Z stepped in and sat on the bed, pulling her knees up to her chin like she always did.

"I've found him, Near," she said, a grin spreading across her face. "I've finally found him."

"Who?" Near asked, confused.

"My brother! I've found him! I finally found L!"

Near's breath caught in his throat. L? As in the detective they were being raised as successors for?

"L... is... your... brother...?" he whispered.

She frowned, suddenly realizing she hadn't told him yet.

"Yeah... Shit! I forgot to tell you! I'm sorry, Near!"

He was startled. She really had meant to tell him.

"It's okay!" he said. "It was just surprising, is all. It's not every day you find out your best friend is the sister of the world's greatest detective." He smiled.

She smiled back. "Guess not... but, the reason I came is to tell you that... I'm leaving tomorrow. This is my last night here."

Near felt his heart stop. This was her last night... he might never see her again. He was happy and upset at the same time. Happy she had found her brother, upset she was leaving.

But he still didn't understand why. He'd never cared about a girl before now, not one. Why was _this_ one so different? He thought about it, and could only come up with one explanation.

He loved her.

He'd been trying to deny what he knew was true the entire time. But as he came to this conclusion, he realized it _was_ true.

The next morning, all of Wammy House's kids came to say goodbye. Near was at the front watching her leave. He didn't want her to go. He loved her, he wanted her to stay. But he couldn't stop her, he knew that. Suddenly he decided to do what he later thought of as the stupidest, but smartest thing he'd ever done in his life.

"Z!" he cried.

Z turned, and suddenly found Near's lips on hers.

As Near pulled back he blushed.

_What the hell did I just do?_

He stared at Z, suddenly afraid.

All of Wammy's was silent. They'd never, ever, in all their life, expected _Near_ to actually _kiss_ a _girl. _They couldn't believe their eyes. Z stared at Near, completely surprised.

And then she smiled.

"Near..." she said.

"U-umm..." he said, for the first time lost for words.

Z kissed him right back.

"Bye, Near. I promise I'll come back."

He grinned. "Bye. You better come back."

And as Z got into the car, she decided that not every part of being away from her brother was terrible.

**That's it for chapter 4! I hope you liked it... I sorta wrote this as I went along, right off the top of my head. It was pretty good if you take that into mind, if I do say so myself.**

**If you liked it, then please review!**


	5. Reunion

**Okay... the time has come! It's time for chapter five!**

As Z boarded the plane to Japan, her nervousness at seeing the brother who thought she was dead increased by around eighty-nine percent. As she came close to panicking, she tried to think of anything but him. She thought about cake, she thought about the book she was reading... and of course she thought about Near. But as the plane drew closer and closer to Japan, it was impossible to not think about L. By the time the plane touched down in Tokyo, she almost felt sick. And apparently, it showed on her face.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" some lady asked.

Z, remembering the man in America, almost panicked.

"Yes, I'm just a bit nervous, this is my first trip to Japan," she said quickly.

The woman nodded understandingly and walked away.

Z set off toward the exit of the airport; she wanted to leave as soon as possible. She hated being in large crowds.

She set off toward the hotel Roger had told her about. She didn't mind walking, it wasn't supposed to be to far from the airport.

As she walked she thought about what she would say. _Hey bro, look, I'm not dead! _probably wouldn't be fitting. When she finally reached the hotel, she looked up, trying to distract herself. When she could stall no longer, she entered the building. It was large, clean, and neat. As she went to the elevator and pressed the correct button, she pulled out the locket she had hidden under her shirt and smiled at the picture. It was her and her brother, several years ago. She was on L's back, arms around his neck, grinning widely at the camera. He was laughing, reaching up and tousling her hair.

As the elevator dinged on her floor, she snapped out of her memories and tucked the necklace back under her shirt. She walked down the hall to the correct door and stared at it for a minute.

Then she closed her eyes and knocked on the door.

**L**

L was surprised when someone knocked on the door. Nobody had called, and Watari hadn't warned him about unsuspected visitors. Though he was curious, he didn't turn around when Matsuda opened the door.

"Hello?" Matsuda said. "Hey wait-"

Even as he heard the unannounced person enter the room, he still didn't turn. Footsteps approached him from behind, then stopped when there were several loud clicks.

The Task Force had cocked their guns.

"Who are you? What do you want?" L asked, still not turning.

"Turn around and you'll know, L." someone said.

L started. That voice... something about that voice pulled at his heart, but he didn't know what. He slowly turned around.

When he saw who it was, the plate of cake in his hands fell to the floor with a clatter, and he leapt off of the couch.

"Z-Z...?" he whispered. "Z?"

The black haired little girl he was staring at bit her lip. And then she nodded.

"Z!"

He hurdled the couch and pulled her into the biggest hug he'd ever given anyone. He held her tight, hardly daring to believe it could be true. He felt her arms around his neck, her face buried in his chest.

"Oh, Z... Z... little sister..." he muttered, repeating her name over and over. He couldn't get enough, couldn't hold his sister long enough, even if they stayed like this for the rest of their lives. She had been gone for three years, three long, miserable years; he's thought she was dead. But now she was back.

He felt her tears stain his shirt, soaking through and dampening his shoulder, but he didn't care. That didn't matter, it wasn't important.

What was important was that his little sister was in his arms again. And this time, he was never letting go.

**Heh, it was probably a bit corny, but I liked it. And it was a bit short...**

**But anyway, did you like it? I'll only continue writing if someone reviews... so, if you think this story should continue, then please R&R!**

**Now... off I go to the kitchen to sneak some jam! (I'm actually allergic to it, so don't tell my mom... please...)**


	6. New Name

**Well, it has been a while, hasn't it? The poll's done. In truth, it should have been done a long time ago...but anyway! The results are in, and continuing this story to the end of Death Note won by...well, a lot. HOWEVER! If you wanted to keep it at the happy reunion ending, I guess that's okay. Just stop here. By the way, I will be rewriting that last chapter very soon. Nothing big, I'll just be taking the task force out. Why? Cause I want them to walk into a session with L and find a little girl sitting on the couch so I can write them all going, "WTF is going on here?" I need some humor to lighten my mood. So this chapter is going to have a little hole or two, but only until I fill them by re-posting the last chapter, which I have every intention of doing before the end of the week.**

**Ah, but how I've missed this story. By the way, it's been a really long time, and my writing style may have changed a bit. Hopefully for the better! :D And I've started writing longer chapters (except this one, because it's only a pick-up chapter to refresh you guys memories), so that's an added bonus, right? Hopefully...**

**Wow, that was a long AN.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, but I do own an Olivia, who has these little Death Note toys she lets me play with sometimes. :) Just kidding, I don't own her either...in fact she's probably reading this right now and plotting my death... Well, it's been nice knowing you guys! :D**

**I need to stop ranting. Onwards! Read my awesome no-longer-on-hiatus story! GO!**

Z clung to her big brother's shirt, hardly daring to believe it. She'd finally made it! She'd found L, and now she wasn't alone anymore. Life had just gotten about five-hundred thirty-four percent better to her. And that was a big percent. L held her close, and she could feel her normally emotionless brother shaking. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes dry on his shirt, and he pulled back, quickly rubbing his own eyes dry.

"What happened?" he demanded. "How are you alive? I mean...I found the place they kept you, and I saw...all that blood..." he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get the awful memory out of his mind: the concrete floor of an old abandoned storage shed, dyed crimson in his little sister's blood. And he knew it was hers, because he'd made the Dallas crime lab check it over and over. It had taken two weeks of them testing and retesting for the denial go away and him be forced to except that all of the blood had been Z's. The nightmares of it still haunted him.

"Well..." she said quietly, "it's kind of a long story."

He stood and sat back down on the couch, gesturing to the spot next to him.

"The Kira task force I'm working with left about an hour ago, and they won't be coming back until tomorrow. I have the time."

She sat on the couch next to him and pulled her knees up to her chest, looking so much like L that anyone who walked in would have thought someone had cloned a younger female version of him. Then her eyes widened as she fully took in what he had said.

"They _left?_ As in they were _here,_ in the same room as you? _Knowing _who you were?"

He scratched the top of his head, remembering that she hadn't been here for the entire case. "This is the hardest case we've ever had," he said, unconsciously slipping back into the plural he hadn't used in three years. "I need the full cooperation of the Japanese police, even if it means revealing my face. Don't worry," he said noticing her slightly panicked look, "there's only about five of them. And they call me Ryuuzaki, not L, though they do know that's who I am." He took a sip of the now cold coffee that he'd forgotten was on the table. "Speaking of which, you need a fake name..."

He looked thoughtfully at Z. His name had been easy; he'd called himself Ryuuzaki to honor B's memory. But what about Z? Well, he had always liked the Japanese name...

"Rin," he decided. "That's what we're telling the Task Force to call you. Now anyway, you have a story to tell."

Watari walked in at that moment with two pieces of cake. He handed one to L and one to Z, or as we're going to be referring to them as now, Ryuuzaki and Rin. He then sat down in the armchair, just as curious as Ryuuzaki to hear how his youngest charge was alive.

Rin nodded her thanks, and without further distractions, began.

**Well, that was short. But don't worry, the next chapter will be much, much longer. Mainly because you'll be learning Z (now Rin's) past story. It'll be told in flashback format to save time and trouble, okay?**

**This chapter was just a little pick-up chapter, to sort of give people a chance to remember. Like said, I've taken to writing longer chapters.**

**Anyway, read review, and make me feel all happy and loved inside!**

**The rewritten chapter will be up before the end of the week, and the next chapter a day or two after. REVIEW!**


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